The International Mother Language Day

The International Mother Language Day

21 February is observed as the International Mother Language Day. The then government of West Pakistan declared in 1948 that only Urdu would be the state language of Pakistan. But the students of our country protested this announcement saying that Bangla would be the state language of East Pakistan. The students formed ‘Mother Language Struggle Parishad’ and decided to continue their movement. On 21 February in 1952, many students brought out a procession and claimed their demand. But suddenly the police fired upon the procession and some students died on the spot. Consequently, Bangla was declared the state language of East Pakistan. Afterwards, on November 17, 1999, UNESCO declared the day as the International Mother Language Day. The day is observed to respect one’s mother tongue, in multilingual variety and cultural traditions throughout the world. On 21 February, the people of our country generally wake up early in the morning. They walk to Shaheed Minars barefooted with flowers and wreaths in hands. They also put on a black badge to mark the day as a mournful one for them. They offer flowers and wreaths on the foot of Shaheed Minars by standing silently for some time. Many meetings and seminars are held. People also pray for the salvation of the souls of the martyrs.